Backpack

ABSTRACT

A backpack includes: a body including a front panel and a rear panel; a shoulder strap attached to the body and having an adjustable length; and a retention mechanism attached to the body and movable between a first position and a second position, in the first position the retention mechanism being disposed to define a compartment to hold an object and to inhibit first motion of the object toward a bottom of the backpack, to inhibit second motion of the object toward a right side of the backpack, to inhibit third motion of the object toward a left side of the backpack, and to inhibit fourth motion of the object away from the rear panel over a length of the retention mechanism, in the second position the retention mechanism providing an opening to the compartment, the opening extending a majority of the length of the retention mechanism.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.63/045,230, filed Jun. 29, 2020, entitled “BACKPACK,” assigned to theassignee hereof, and the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Backpacks are often used by persons engaging in activities such ashiking, biking, walking, camping, moving between classes, etc. Differentconfigurations of backpacks are available for different activities, suchas hiking or biking versus attending classes. Backpacks may be used tostore various objects depending upon the use or activity of a user ofthe backpack. For example, for hiking or biking, backpacks are availablefor storing a hydration bladder that may hold water and may have a tubeconnected on one end to a reservoir of the bladder. A user can createsuction on a mouthpiece disposed at an opposite end of the tube to drawwater (or other liquid) from the reservoir through a valve of themouthpiece. Thus, volume of contents of the backpack may change overtime.

SUMMARY

An example backpack includes: a body including a front panel and a rearpanel; a shoulder strap attached to the body and having an adjustablelength; and a retention mechanism attached to the body and movablebetween a first position and a second position, in the first positionthe retention mechanism being disposed to define a compartment to holdan object and to inhibit first motion of the object toward a bottom ofthe backpack, to inhibit second motion of the object toward a right sideof the backpack, to inhibit third motion of the object toward a leftside of the backpack, and to inhibit fourth motion of the object awayfrom the rear panel over a length of the retention mechanism, in thesecond position the retention mechanism providing an opening to thecompartment, the opening extending a majority of the length of theretention mechanism.

Implementations of such a backpack may include one or more of thefollowing features. In an example implementation, the retentionmechanism comprises at least one flap pivotally connected to a baseportion of the retention mechanism or to the rear panel. In anotherexample implementation, the opening extends over 80% of the length ofthe retention mechanism. In another example implementation, theretention mechanism is movable to a plurality of first positions todefine a plurality of compartments of different volumes. In anotherexample implementation, the retention mechanism includes an adjustablestabilizer to bias the retention mechanism against the object at each ofthe plurality of first positions. In another example implementation, theretention mechanism includes a sheet of an elastic fabric. In anotherexample implementation, the retention mechanism includes a retentionstrap and a securing device configured to slidably receive, andselectively secure, the retention strap with a selected length of theretention strap between the securing device and a securing pointlaterally-disposed from the securing device relative to the body. Inanother example implementation, the retention mechanism is sized toreceive and retain a liquid-holding bladder containing at least 1 literof water. In another example implementation, the retention mechanism isconfigured to be at least partially see through to permit viewing of theobject while the object is retained by the retention mechanism.

Another example backpack includes: a body including a front panel and arear panel; a shoulder strap attached to the body, proximate to a top ofthe body, and having an adjustable length; and a bladder retentionmechanism attached to the body and including: a retaining memberdisposed, shaped, and attached to the body to provide a chamber toreceive at least a lower portion of a liquid-containing bladder; and anadjustable stabilizer disposed and configured to bias theliquid-containing bladder toward the rear panel with theliquid-containing bladder received by the retaining member; wherein thebladder retention mechanism is configured to provide the chamber withdifferent volumes to bias the liquid-containing bladder toward the rearpanel with the bladder occupying different volumes.

Implementations of such a backpack may include one or more of thefollowing features. In an example implementation, the adjustablestabilizer includes at least one adjustable-length band. In anotherexample implementation, the at least one adjustable-length band isattached to the body closer to the top of the body than a top of theretaining member. In another example implementation, the retainingmember has a length and is configured to overlap the body along thelength of the retaining member, and wherein the at least oneadjustable-length band is attached to the body to overlap the retainingmember transverse to a length of the body. In another exampleimplementation, the at least one adjustable-length band includes aplurality of adjustable-length straps.

Another example backpack includes: a body including a front panel and arear panel; a shoulder strap attached to the body, the shoulder strapbeing adjustable to bias the front panel against a back of a user; afirst side bladder flap including a first connector, the first sidebladder flap attached to the rear panel along a first length that isdisplaced from a vertical centerline of the rear panel, the first sidebladder flap being movable between a first closed position extendingtoward the vertical centerline of the rear panel and a first openposition extending away from the vertical centerline of the rear panel;a second side bladder flap including a second connector, the second sidebladder flap attached to the rear panel along a second length that isdisplaced from the vertical centerline of the rear panel on an oppositeside of the vertical centerline of the rear panel from the first length,the second side bladder flap being movable between a second closedposition extending toward the vertical centerline of the rear panel anda second open position extending away from the vertical centerline ofthe rear panel; and a bottom bladder flap attached to the rear panelalong a third length, the bottom bladder flap being movable between athird closed position extending toward a top of the body from the thirdlength and a third open position extending away from the top of the bodyfrom the third length; where the bottom bladder flap includes a thirdconnector and a fourth connector configured and disposed to releasablyconnect to the first connector and the second connector, respectively,with the first side bladder flap disposed in the first closed position,the second side bladder flap disposed in the second closed position, andthe bottom bladder flap disposed in the third closed position.

Implementations of such a backpack may include one or more of thefollowing features. In an example implementation, the first connectorand the third connector include a first hook-and-loop fastener and thesecond connector and the fourth connector comprise a secondhook-and-loop fastener. In another example implementation, the backpackincludes a handle attached to the bottom bladder flap at an opposite endof the bottom bladder flap from the third length. In another exampleimplementation, the bottom bladder flap provides a see-through section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a backpack.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the backpack shown in FIG. 1 with anupper pouch pivoted away from a body of the backpack.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the backpack shown in FIG. 2 with abottom portion of a retention mechanism opened.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the backpack shown in FIG. 3 with sideportions of the retention mechanism opened and a hydration bladderrested on the backpack.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the backpack shown in FIG. 4 with theside portions of the retention mechanism folded upon the hydrationbladder.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the backpack shown in FIG. 5 with thebottom portion of the retention mechanism folded upon the side portionsof the retention mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a simplified plan-view diagram of an alternative retentionmechanism and a rear panel of a backpack.

FIG. 8 is a simplified plan-view diagram of another alternativeretention mechanism, and a rear panel of a backpack, retaining ahydration bladder.

FIG. 9 is a simplified plan-view diagram of another alternativeretention mechanism, and a rear panel of a backpack, retaining ahydration bladder.

FIG. 10 is a simplified plan-view diagram of another alternativeretention mechanism, and a rear panel of a backpack, retaining ahydration bladder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are discussed herein for retaining a hydration bladder by abackpack. A retention mechanism may be provided that may provide anadjustable stabilizer for retaining one or more objects such as ahydration bladder. The retention mechanism may retain and stabilize theobject(s) and help stabilize the object(s), including for differentsizes of objects. For example, a retention mechanism of a backpack hasthree flaps for retaining a bladder. Two side flaps are attached nearleft and right sides of a rear panel of the backpack and a bottom flapis attached to the rear panel across a portion of a width of the rearpanel below the side flaps. The side flaps may be pivoted toward eachother to overlie the rear panel. The bottom flap may be pivoted tooverlie the rear panel with the bottom flap overlapping a respectiveportion of each of the side flaps. The side flaps and the bottom flapinclude connectors for releasably attaching the side flaps to the bottomflap. For example, each of the side flaps may include a strip of ahook-and-loop fastener portion and the bottom flap may include one ormore strips of a mating hook-and-loop fastener portion to formhook-and-loop fasteners with the hook-and-loop fastener portions of theside flaps. These are examples, and other example configurations may beused, many (though not all) of which are discussed below. For example,one or more of the side flaps and/or the bottom flap may includemultiple regions of hook-and-loop fastener material. Still other exampleare possible and within the scope of the disclosure and claims.

Items and/or techniques described herein may provide one or more of thefollowing capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned.Access to a hydration bladder and/or other object(s) retained by abackpack may be improved. Different sizes of objects such as hydrationbladders may be accommodated by a backpack. A bladder may continue to besnugly retained by a backpack as the bladder is drained. Movement of abladder relative to a backpack as the bladder is drained may be reducedcompared to prior backpacks. Determining status of an object held by abackpack may be facilitated, e.g., determining a liquid level of abladder may be easier than with previous bladder-holding backpacks.Other capabilities may be provided and not every implementationaccording to the disclosure must provide any, let alone all, of thecapabilities discussed.

Referring to FIG. 1, a backpack 10 includes a body 12, shoulder straps20, 21, an upper pouch 14, and a lower pouch 16. The backpack 10 isconfigured to be worn by a user with the body 12 against the user'sback, the user's arms extended between the shoulder straps 20, 21 andthe body 12, and the shoulder straps 20, 21 disposed against the user'sshoulders supporting the weight of the backpack 10 and contents of thebackpack 10. The shoulder straps 20, 21 are attached to the body 12proximate to (e.g., within 10% or 20% of) a top 40 of the body 12 suchthat, in use, the backpack 10 will be oriented essentially vertically,with the top 40 of the backpack 10 disposed at about a height of theuser's shoulders or neck, and a bottom 42 of the backpack 10 disposedlower relative to the user's body, perhaps near the middle of the user'sback or near a lower back of the user. For example, a length 44 of thebackpack 10 in the position shown in FIG. 1 may be about 18 inches(about 46 cm).

The shoulder straps 20, 21 are configured to adjustably mount thebackpack 10 on the user. The shoulder straps 20, 21 comprise uppersections 22, 23 connected (e.g., sewn) to an upper portion 24 of thebody 12 and lower sections 26, 27 connected (e.g. sewn) to a lowerportion 25 of the body 12. The upper sections 22, 23 of the shoulderstraps 20, 21 may include mesh and/or padding and have widths (e.g., awidth 29, shown in FIG. 5, of the upper section 23) sized to distributeweight over shoulders of a user of the backpack 10 such that thebackpack 10 is comfortable while retaining one or more items ofsignificant weight. For example, the widths of the upper sections 22, 23may be at least about two inches (about 5 cm), e.g., about 2.5 inches(about 6.3 cm) or more. The upper sections 22, 23 of the shoulder straps20, 21 are attached to connectors 30, 31, and the lower sections 26, 27of the shoulder straps 20, 21 comprise flexible straps 32, 33, e.g.,woven nylon straps, that can be slidably received by the connectors 30,31 of the upper sections 22, 23 of the shoulder straps 20, 21,respectively. Lengths of the shoulder straps 20, 21 may be adjusted,e.g., by tilting the connectors 30, 31 and pulling the mesh strapsperpendicularly to lengths of the connectors 30, 31 to achieve a desiredlength. The connectors 30, 31 inhibit movement of the straps 32, 33 inresponse to the straps 32, 33 being pulled parallel to lengths of theconnectors 30, 31. The lengths of the shoulder straps 20, 21 may beadjusted to bias the body 12 (e.g., a front panel 13 of the body 12)against the user of the backpack 10. While two shoulder straps 20, 21are shown, this is only an example, and other configurations arepossible, e.g., with a single shoulder strap, e.g., that extends from anupper portion of a backpack on one lateral side of the backpack to alower portion of the backpack on an opposite lateral side of thebackpack.

The pouches 14, 16 provide compartments for storing items and the pouch14 may be used to retain items between the pouch 14 and the body 12. Thepouch 14 includes connectors 51, 52, 53 attached to an outer surface 54of the pouch 14. Retaining straps 55, 56, 57 are connected to the bodyand are slidably received by connectors 61, 62, 63 that are sized andshaped to mate with the connectors 51-53, to be releasably received bythe connectors 51-53. Thus, the connectors 61-63 may be detached fromthe connectors 51-53, the pouch 14 pivoted away from the body 12 about ahinge 15 (e.g., see FIG. 2), an item (not shown) such as a coat, ahelmet, etc., disposed overlying the body 12, the pouch 14 moved overthe item, the straps 55-57 slid within the connectors 61-63 asappropriate, the connectors 61-63 connected to the connectors 51-53, andthe straps 55-57 slid within the connectors 61-63 to bias the pouch 14against the item. The pouch 14 and the body 12 thus retain the item bythe backpack 10, with the item possibly being external to the backpack10 in that the item may not be disposed within any pouch or container ofthe backpack 10. The hinge 15 hingedly connects the body and the pouch14, allowing pivoting motion of the body 12 and the pouch 14 relative toeach other.

Referring also to FIGS. 2-6, the backpack 10 includes a retentionmechanism 110 connected to the body 12. The retention mechanism 110 isconfigured to retain one or more objects. The discussion herein uses theexample of retention of a bladder 150 (e.g., see FIGS. 4-6), and thusrefers to the retention mechanism 110 as a bladder retention mechanism,but the discussion herein is not limited to retaining a bladder, and theretention mechanism 110 may retain one or more objects in addition to orin instead of a bladder. The bladder retention mechanism 110 provides anopenable pouch for holding the bladder 150, e.g., for holding liquidssuch as water, a sports drink, etc. Numerous configurations of bladderretention mechanisms may be used to retain the bladder 150 by thebackpack 10. In this example, the bladder retention mechanism 110includes side flaps 120, 130, and a bottom flap 140 that are openablesuch that an enclosed compartment 112 provided by the bladder retentionmechanism 110 with the flaps 120, 130, 140 in closed positions, directlyconnected to each other, is absent when the flaps 120, 130, 140 are inopen positions, not directly connected to each other. The enclosedcompartment 112 may vary in size depending upon the amount of overlap ofthe flaps 120, 130, 140. The bladder retention mechanism 110, e.g., theflaps 120, 130, 140 may be movable to multiple positions (e.g.,relationships of the flaps 120, 130, 140 to each other) to define thecompartment 112 with different sizes, e.g., of different volumes. Thebladder retention mechanism 110 may be biased against the bladder 150 ateach of the different volumes, e.g., to help retain and stabilize thebladder 150 (e.g., to inhibit movement of the bladder 150). As thebladder 150 may contain water or other liquid(s), the bladder 150 may berelatively heavy and thus it may be desirable to keep the bladder 150centered laterally relative to the backpack 10, e.g., to keep the weightof the backpack 10 and backpack contents evenly distributed on shouldersof a user. The bladder retention mechanism 110 may help stabilize thebladder 150 to keep the bladder centered relative to the backpack 10even as the bladder 150 changes size, e.g., occupying less volume asliquid is removed from the bladder 150.

The bladder retention mechanism 110 is configured (sized, shaped, anddisposed) to adapt to and retain different sizes of hydration bladders,at different levels of fullness, e.g., against the body 12 and/or toinhibit movement of the bladder 150 relative to the backpack 10, and/orto inhibit separation of the bladder 150 from the backpack 10 (e.g., toinhibit the bladder 150 from falling downward and/or sideways away fromthe backpack 10. For example, the bladder retention mechanism may besized and shaped to receive and retain the bladder 150, with the bladder150 potentially being of various sizes (e.g., configured to contain upto 2 liters of water or more). The bladder 150 may change size duringuse, e.g., as liquid is drawn from a reservoir of the bladder 150. Thebladder retention mechanism 110 may inhibit lateral motion of thebladder 150 in lateral directions 151, 152 (FIG. 6) toward lateral sides(e.g., a left side and a right side of the backpack 10, respectively),in a direction 153 toward the bottom 42 of the backpack 10, and in adirection 154 away from the backpack 10, e.g., away from a rear panel 72(FIG. 3) of the body 12 of the backpack 10. The pouch 14, e.g., whendisposed as shown in FIG. 1 (and restrained such as by connection of theconnectors 53, 63), may inhibit motion in a direction 155 toward a topof the backpack 10 away from the bladder retention mechanism 110. Thebladder retention mechanism 110 may provide an adjustable stabilizer tostabilize contents (such as a bladder) retained by the bladder retentionmechanism 110. For example, the side flaps 120, 130 and the bottom flap140 are configured to connect to each other with different relationshipsbetween the side flaps 120, 130 and the bottom flap 140, e.g., due todifferent sizes of bladders being disposed between the bladder retentionmechanism 110 and the rear panel and/or with bladders at different filllevels being so disposed. For example, referring in particular to FIG.3, a width 80 of an upper portion 73 of the rear panel 72 may be about8.6 inches (about 21.8 cm) and a width 82 of a lower portion 74 of therear panel may be about 7 inches (about 17.8 cm). Widths 122, 132 ofupper ends of the side flaps 120, 130, respectively, may be about 4.1inches (10.4 cm) and widths 123, 133 of lower ends of the side flaps120, 130 may be about 3.3 inches (about 8.4 cm), such that when the sideflaps 120, 130 are moved to closed positions overlying as much of therear panel 72 as possible, the side flaps 120, 130 are separated fromeach other by about 0.4 inches (about 1.0 cm) over the lengths of theside flaps 120, 130. Lengths 125, 135 (FIG. 4) of the side flaps 120,130 may be about 8.5 inches (about 21.6 cm), and a length 145 (FIG. 6)of the bottom flap 140 may be about 10 inches (about 25.4 cm). Thelengths 125, 135 of the side flaps 120, 130 may vary over the widths ofthe side flaps 120, 130, e.g., being longer at proximal edges 126, 136where the side flaps 120, 130 are attached to the body 12 and shorteraway from the body 12, e.g., at distal edges 127, 137 of the side flaps120, 130. The bottom flap 140 is attached at a bottom 160 (FIG. 4) ofthe bottom flap 140 to the rear panel 72 closer to the bottom 42 of thebackpack 10 than bottom ends of the side flaps 120, 130, but otherconfigurations may have the bottom flap 140 attached to the rear panel72 at about the same distance from the bottom 42 as bottom ends of theside flaps 120, 130 or even closer to the top 40 of the backpack 10 thanthe bottom ends of the side flaps 120, 130. The connection of the bottomflap 140 to the rear panel 72 provides a lower boundary to inhibit thebladder 150 from slipping out of the backpack 10, particularly when thebottom flap 140 is connected to the side flaps 120, 130 (e.g., asdiscussed below). The dimensions and configurations discussed areexamples only, and other dimensions and/or configurations may be used.For example, the side flaps 120, 130 may overlap with each other in theclosed positions to accommodate larger bladders. Still other examplesare possible, e.g., as discussed herein or otherwise.

As shown in FIG. 3, the side flaps 120, 130 include connectors 124, 134and the bottom flap 140 includes mating connectors 141, 142. Theconnectors 124, 134 and the mating connectors 141, 142 are configured toattach to each other and to be detached from each other. In thisexample, the connectors 124, 134 are strips of hooks and the connectors141, 142 are strips of loops such that the connectors 124, 141 comprisea hook-and-loop fastener and the connectors 134, 142 comprise anotherhook-and-loop fastener. Alternatively, the connectors 124, 134 could bestrips of loops and the connectors 141, 142 strips of hooks, or one ofthe connectors 124, 134 could be a strip of hooks and the other a stripof loops, and one of the connectors 141, 142 could be a strip of loopsand the other a strip of hooks to mate with, and attach to, thecorresponding connectors 124, 134. The connectors 124, 134 may be, forexample, about 2 inches (about 5 cm) wide and extend approximately thelengths 125, 135 of the side flaps 120, 130 (e.g., about 8 inches (about20.3 cm) at the edges 127, 137 (FIG. 4) and about 8.7 inches (about 22.1cm) at edges 128, 138). While the connectors 124, 134 may extend theentire lengths 125, 135 of the side flaps 120, 130 at inner edges, theconnectors 124, 134 could cover a smaller area, e.g., extending lessthan the entire lengths 125, 135 (e.g., being smaller in dimension alonglengths and/or widths of the side flaps 120, 130), etc. The connectors141, 142 are sized and disposed to overlap, at least partially, with theconnectors 124, 134 with the side flaps 120, 130 and the bottom flap 140all in closed positions, e.g., as shown in FIG. 2. For example, theconnectors 141, 142 may have widths 147 (FIG. 3) about 2 inches (about 5cm) and lengths 146 (FIG. 2) of about 9 inches (about 22.9 cm). Thebottom flap 140 may overlap at least 30% (e.g., 50% or more, or 75% ormore) of widths of the side flaps 120, 130 with the bottom flap 140 andthe side flaps 120, 130 in the closed positions, e.g., without a bladdercontained by the flaps 120, 130, 140 against the rear panel 72. Bladdersof different sizes or even the same bladder with different amounts ofliquid contained in the bladder may be snugly held by the flaps 120,130, 140 against the rear panel 72 by adjusting the amount that thebottom flap 140 overlaps the side flaps 120, 130 and connecting theconnectors 141, 142 and the connectors 124, 134. For example, with theflaps 120, 130, 140 in the closed position (i.e., a fully closedarrangement), a width of the connected flaps 120, 130, 140 is about awidth 139 of the bottom flap 140, e.g., about 5 inches (about 12.7 cm).With the flaps 120, 130, 140 in a fully expanded arrangement(overlapping just enough to be securely connected to each other), e.g.,overlapping about 0.4 inches (about 1 cm), the width of the connectedflaps 120, 130, 140 is nearly the sum of the widths of the flaps 120,130, 140, e.g., about 12.4 inches (about 31.5 cm) at a top (upper end)of the connected flaps 120, 130, 140, and about 10.8 inches (about 27.5cm) at a bottom (lower end) of the connected flaps 120, 130, 140. Thus,a width of the connected flaps 120, 130, 140 may expand by about 250%and may be secured at a desired fixed width between the fully closed andfully expanded arrangements.

The bottom flap 140 includes a handle 144 attached to a top end of thebottom flap 140. The handle 144 can be pulled to separate the connectors124, 134 of the side flaps 120, 130 from the connectors 141, 142 of thebottom flap 140. Pulling the handle 144 may simultaneously separate theconnector 141 from the connector 124 and the connector 142 from theconnector 134. In this example, the handle 144 is a woven nylon strap,but other forms of handles, e.g., hard plastic (e.g., AcrylonitrileButadiene Styrene (ABS)), may be used.

The side flaps 120, 130 and the bottom flap 140 may be made of flexiblematerials to adapt to different sizes of bladders to help retain thebladder 150. For example, the flaps 120, 130, 140 may be made of nylonsheets with flexible strips of hook-and-loop fasteners for theconnectors 124, 134, 141, 142. Alternatively, one or more of the flaps120, 130, 140 may comprise an expandable material such as woven elasticfiber such as Spandex (also known as Lycra® or elastane).

The backpack 10, and/or other configurations of backpacks, may includenumerous other features. For example, referring in particular to FIG. 3,a pocket may be provided by the rear panel 72 and a remaining portion ofthe body 12. A flap 17 may be releasably connected to the rear panel 72,e.g., with a hook-and-loop fastener 19, to provide access to the pocketand to close the pocket to retain one or more items within the pocket.The hook-and-loop fastener 19 is an example, and other fasteningmechanisms, e.g., a zipper, may be used.

Numerous alternative configurations of adjustable retention mechanismsmay be used as part of a backpack, e.g., in conjunction with a body of abackpack. Such alternative configurations may be used with backpacks ofdifferent configurations, e.g., the backpack 10 with the pouch 14 andthe pouch 16, or other configurations of backpacks (whether discussedherein or not). One or more of these alternative adjustable retentionmechanisms may provide adjustable-size pockets for receiving andstabilizing one or more objects, in particular a hydration bladder. Oneor more of these mechanisms can provide easy access to a compartmentprovided by the retention mechanism to facilitate insertion of an objectinto the compartment and/or removal of an object from the compartment.For example, a retention mechanism with fewer than three flaps may beused that connect to each other and/or to the rear panel (e.g., to oneor more mating connectors on the rear panel). Still further examples ofretention mechanisms may be used, some of which are discussed below.

Referring to FIG. 7, a retention mechanism 210 for a backpack includes aflexible sheet 212 that includes an openable flap 214. The flexiblesheet 212 may be attached to a body 213 of a backpack (e.g., the body 12of the backpack 10) and may provide an adjustable stabilizer. Theflexible sheet 212 (including the openable flap 214) may, for example,comprise an expandable material such as woven elastic fiber such asSpandex®. The openable flap 214 may be connected to a remainder of theflexible sheet 212 by a zipper 216 or other reusable connector. The flap214 may extend from an upper end 220 of the retention mechanism 210 overhalf a length 230 of the flexible sheet 212 toward a lower end 222 ofthe retention mechanism 210. For example, the flap 214 may extend over70%, or over 80%, or over 90%, etc. of the length 230 of the flexiblesheet 212 to provide selectable access to a compartment defined betweenthe flexible sheet 212 and the body 213 (e.g., a rear panel) of abackpack with the flexible sheet 212 attached to the backpack. Thelength 230 of the flexible sheet 212 may, for example, be between about7 inches (about 17.8 cm) and about 12 inches (about 30.5 cm), e.g.,about 9 inches (about 22.9 cm). The material of the flexible sheet 212may help adjust to different sizes of objects and help stabilize theobjects in the compartment, i.e., relative to the body 213 of thebackpack. Edges 241, 242, 243 of the flexible sheet 212 may be connectedto the body 213 of the backpack. The edges 241-243 may be fixedlyattached (e.g., sewn) or detachably attached (e.g., snapped, attachedwith hook-and-loop connectors, strapped, zipped, etc.) to the body 213of the backpack.

Referring to FIG. 8, a retention mechanism 310 for a backpack includes aflexible retaining sheet 320 and an adjustable band 360 and may providean adjustable stabilizer. The retaining sheet 320 may be fixedlyattached (e.g., sewn) to or detachably attached (e.g., buttoned, zipped,connected by hook-and-loop fasteners, strapped, etc.) to a rear panel340 of the backpack along a bottom edge 322 of the retaining sheet 320.A lower portion 324 of the retaining sheet 320 may be fixedly attached(e.g., sewn) to or detachably attached (e.g., buttoned, zipped,connected by hook-and-loop fasteners, strapped, etc.) to the rear panel340 of the backpack along lower portions of side edge 321, 323 of theretaining sheet 320. The lower portion 324 may help retain a bottom ofthe bladder 150 (or other object(s)). Having the lower portion 324fixedly attached to the rear panel 340 may help ensure retention of thebladder 150 and/or other object(s) by the retention mechanism 310. Thelower portion 324 may comprise between about 10% and about 40% (e.g.,about a third) of a length 350 of the retaining sheet 320. The length350 of the retaining sheet 320 may, for example, be between about 7inches (about 17.8 cm) and about 12 inches (about 30.5 cm), e.g., about9 inches (about 22.9 cm). An upper portion 325 of the retaining sheet320 may be detachably attached (e.g., buttoned, zipped, connected byhook-and-loop fasteners, strapped, etc.) to the rear panel 340 of thebackpack along upper portions (above the lower portions) of side edges321, 323 of the retaining sheet 320, which may facilitate insertion of,or removal of, or access to one or more objects retained by or to beretained by the retaining sheet 320. The entire edges 321, 323 of theretaining sheet 320 may be detachably attached to the rear panel 340,such that the retaining sheet 320 may be a flap, hinged to the rearpanel, that can be fully opened to eliminate a compartment between theretaining sheet 320 and the rear panel 340. The adjustable band 360 isattached (e.g., fixedly attached) to the rear panel 340 in a midsection370 of the retaining sheet 320 (e.g., that extends from about 20% toabout 80% of the length 350 of the retaining sheet 320). The adjustableband 360 may comprise, for example, two strap sections 361, 362 offlexible material (e.g., woven nylon) and a securing device, here abuckle 363. The strap sections 361, 362 may be attached (e.g., sewn) tothe rear panel 340 at respective securing points 365, 366. The securingpoints 365, 366 may be locations where the strap sections 361, 362 areattached (e.g., stitched) to the rear panel 340, or may be locations ofother securing devices (e.g., slidably) securing the strap sections 361,362 to the rear panel 340. The buckle 363 may be attached (e.g., fixedlyattached) to the section 361 and sized and shaped to slidably receivethe section 362 so that an overall length of the adjustable band 360 maybe changed, and to selectively secure the section 362 (e.g., grip thesection 362 with friction) to resist sliding of the section 362 due topulling the section 362 away from the section 361. While only oneadjustable band 360 is shown in FIG. 8, more than one adjustable bandmay be provided (e.g., as shown in FIG. 9). Other forms of adjustablebands may be used. For example, an elastic cord (e.g., a bungee cord)may be used that stretches to accommodate different sizes of retainedobjects while biasing the object(s) toward the rear panel 340. Further,other configurations of the retention mechanism 310 may be used. Forexample, the upper portion of the retaining sheet 320 may not be used.As another example, some or all of a top edge 330 of the retaining sheet320 may be detachably attached (e.g., buttoned, zipped, connected byhook-and-loop fasteners, strapped, etc.) to the rear panel 340 of thebackpack. In such case, a gap may be provided to allow a tube of thebladder 150 to pass through the gap. Similarly, all or a portion of asheet in other retention mechanisms may be detachably attached to a rearpanel of the backpack, e.g., to further retain an object such as thebladder.

Referring to FIG. 9, a retention mechanism 410 for a backpack includes aretaining member, here a retaining sheet 420, and adjustable bands 430,440 and may provide an adjustable stabilizer. Edges 421, 422, 423 of theretaining sheet 420 may be fixedly attached (e.g., sewn) to ordetachably attached (e.g., buttoned, zipped, connected by hook-and-loopfasteners, strapped, etc.) to a rear panel 450 of the backpack. Theretaining sheet 420 in conjunction with the rear panel 450 provides apocket 425 for receiving and retaining a lower portion of the bladder150 and/or for receiving and retaining one or more other objects. Havingthe retaining sheet 420 fixedly attached to the rear panel 450 may helpensure retention (of at least a bottom portion) of the bladder 150and/or other object(s) by the retention mechanism 410. The retainingsheet 420 may have a length 426 between about 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) andabout 4 inches (about 10.1 cm), e.g., about 3 inches (about 7.6 cm) anda width 427 of between about 4 inches (about 10.1 cm) and about 7 inches(about 17.8 cm). These length and width dimensions provided here (andother length and width dimensions of various items elsewhere in thedisclosure) are, however, examples and other dimensions may be used. Theretaining sheet 420 is shown as a uniform sheet, but otherconfigurations are possible such as a mesh with large openings, e.g.,(about 0.25 inches or more (about 0.6 cm or more)). The adjustable bands430, 440 may be adjustable straps connected by buckles as with theadjustable band 360 discussed above. The adjustable bands 430, 440 mayalternatively be elastic cords or other forms of adjustable bands thatcan have variable lengths to bias different sizes of objects toward therear panel 450. The adjustable bands 430, 440 may be attached (e.g.,fixedly attached such as sewn) at securing points 431, 432, 441, 442 tothe rear panel 450 near lateral edges 451, 452 of the rear panel 450 ina midsection 460 of the rear panel 450. With the adjustable bands 430,440 disposed in the midsection 460, the bands 430, 440 may be biasedagainst portions of the bladder 150 displaced over a significant lengthof the bladder 150 to help retain and stabilize the bladder 150, whilealso permitting access to the bladder 150 (while retained by theretention mechanism 410) and easy insertion of the bladder 150 into, orremoval of the bladder 150 from, the pocket 425.

Numerous other configurations of retention mechanisms and backpacks maybe used. For example, retention mechanisms (e.g., as discussed above aswell as other retention mechanisms) may provide visibility of one ormore items being retained, with the retention mechanism being at leastpartially see-through. For example, referring to FIG. 10, a retentionmechanism 510 may provide a see-through section 530. A retention sheet520 attached to a backpack body 540 may, for example, define a cutout toprovide the see-through section 530 through which the bladder 150 and/orother retained item may be viewed, e.g., to determine an amount ofliquid remaining in the bladder. As another example, the see-throughsection 530 may be a transparent material portion (e.g., transparentplastic) of the retention sheet 520. As another example, the retentionsheet 520 may comprise a mesh, e.g., a netting, with a coarse enoughmesh to permit viewing of the bladder 150 and/or other retained item tobe viewed while being retained. The mesh may extend over the see-throughsection 530, or may extend over all or nearly all of the retention sheet520. The see-through section 530 shown is centrally located in theretention sheet 520. The see-through section 530 shown is an example,and see-through sections of other relative sizes, other shapes, and/orother relative locations may be provided. Mesh retainers may be used inother retention mechanisms to make the retention mechanisms at leastpartially see-through. For example, the flexible sheet 212 and/or theretaining sheet 320 may comprise mesh over at least respective portionsof the sheets 212, 320 to permit viewing of retained items. As anotherexample, the bottom flap 140 of the retention mechanism 110 may provideat least a see-through section 149 (FIG. 2), e.g., comprising atransparent material such as clear plastic or comprising a mesh, topermit viewing of the bladder 150 while the retention mechanism 110 isclosed, retaining the bladder 150. The see-through section 149 extendsalong a portion of the length 145 of the bottom flap 140 and is disposedin a middle of the width 139 of the bottom flap 140, e.g., to facilitateviewing of the bladder 150 between the side flaps 120, 130. Thesee-through section 149 extends proximate to (e.g., to within an inchof) the bottom 160 of the bottom flap 140 to facilitate viewing of thebladder 150 with the pouch 14 secured to the body 12 of the backpack 10,e.g., with the connectors 53, 63 connected to each other.

Other Considerations

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include theplural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,” asused herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Also, as used herein, “or” as used in a list of items (possibly prefacedby “at least one of” or prefaced by “one or more of”) indicates adisjunctive list such that, for example, a list of “at least one of A,B, or C,” or a list of “one or more of A, B, or C” or a list of “A or Bor C” means A, or B, or C, or AB (A and B), or AC (A and C), or BC (Band C), or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or combinations with more than onefeature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).

The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Variousconfigurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, features described with respectto certain configurations may be combined in various otherconfigurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations maybe combined in a similar manner.

“About” and/or “approximately” and/or “substantially” as used hereinwhen referring to a measurable value such as an amount, a temporalduration, an attribute (such as a frequency or size), or the like,encompasses (in addition to any variation specified) variations of ±20%or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in thecontext of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, or otherimplementations described herein.

Specific details are given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of example configurations (including implementations).However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details.This description provides example configurations only, and does notlimit the scope, applicability, or configurations of the claims. Rather,the preceding description of the configurations provides a descriptionfor implementing described techniques. Various changes may be made inthe function and arrangement of elements.

Having described several example configurations, various modifications,alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used. For example, theabove elements may be components of a larger system, wherein other rulesmay take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of theinvention. Accordingly, the above description does not bound the scopeof the claims.

1. A backpack comprising: a body including a front panel and a rearpanel; a shoulder strap attached to the body and having an adjustablelength; and a retention mechanism attached to the body and movablebetween a first position and a second position, in the first positionthe retention mechanism being disposed to define a compartment to holdan object and to inhibit first motion of the object toward a bottom ofthe backpack, to inhibit second motion of the object toward a right sideof the backpack, to inhibit third motion of the object toward a leftside of the backpack, and to inhibit fourth motion of the object awayfrom the rear panel over a length of the retention mechanism, in thesecond position the retention mechanism providing an opening to thecompartment, the opening extending a majority of the length of theretention mechanism.
 2. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the retentionmechanism comprises at least one flap pivotally connected to a baseportion of the retention mechanism or to the rear panel.
 3. The backpackof claim 2, wherein the opening extends over 80% of the length of theretention mechanism.
 4. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the retentionmechanism is movable to a plurality of first positions to define aplurality of compartments of different volumes.
 5. The backpack of claim4, wherein the retention mechanism comprises an adjustable stabilizer tobias the retention mechanism against the object at each of the pluralityof first positions.
 6. The backpack of claim 5, wherein the retentionmechanism comprises a sheet of an elastic fabric.
 7. The backpack ofclaim 5, wherein the retention mechanism comprises a retention strap anda securing device configured to slidably receive, and selectivelysecure, the retention strap with a selected length of the retentionstrap between the securing device and a securing pointlaterally-disposed from the securing device relative to the body.
 8. Thebackpack of claim 1, wherein the retention mechanism is sized to receiveand retain a liquid-holding bladder containing at least 1 liter ofwater.
 9. The backpack of claim 1, wherein the retention mechanism isconfigured to be at least partially see through to permit viewing of theobject while the object is retained by the retention mechanism.
 10. Abackpack comprising: a body including a front panel and a rear panel; ashoulder strap attached to the body, proximate to a top of the body, andhaving an adjustable length; and a bladder retention mechanism attachedto the body and comprising: a retaining member disposed, shaped, andattached to the body to provide a chamber to receive at least a lowerportion of a liquid-containing bladder; and an adjustable stabilizerdisposed and configured to bias the liquid-containing bladder toward therear panel with the liquid-containing bladder received by the retainingmember; wherein the bladder retention mechanism is configured to providethe chamber with different volumes to bias the liquid-containing bladdertoward the rear panel with the bladder occupying different volumes. 11.The backpack of claim 10, wherein the adjustable stabilizer comprises atleast one adjustable-length band.
 12. The backpack of claim 11, whereinthe at least one adjustable-length band is attached to the body closerto the top of the body than a top of the retaining member.
 13. Thebackpack of claim 11, wherein the retaining member has a length and isconfigured to overlap the body along the length of the retaining member,and wherein the at least one adjustable-length band is attached to thebody to overlap the retaining member transverse to a length of the body.14. The backpack of claim 11, wherein the at least one adjustable-lengthband comprises a plurality of adjustable-length straps.
 15. A backpackcomprising: a body including a front panel and a rear panel; a shoulderstrap attached to the body, the shoulder strap being adjustable to biasthe front panel against a back of a user; a first side bladder flapincluding a first connector, the first side bladder flap attached to therear panel along a first length that is displaced from a verticalcenterline of the rear panel, the first side bladder flap being movablebetween a first closed position extending toward the vertical centerlineof the rear panel and a first open position extending away from thevertical centerline of the rear panel; a second side bladder flapincluding a second connector, the second side bladder flap attached tothe rear panel along a second length that is displaced from the verticalcenterline of the rear panel on an opposite side of the verticalcenterline of the rear panel from the first length, the second sidebladder flap being movable between a second closed position extendingtoward the vertical centerline of the rear panel and a second openposition extending away from the vertical centerline of the rear panel;and a bottom bladder flap attached to the rear panel along a thirdlength, the bottom bladder flap being movable between a third closedposition extending toward a top of the body from the third length and athird open position extending away from the top of the body from thethird length; wherein the bottom bladder flap includes a third connectorand a fourth connector configured and disposed to releasably connect tothe first connector and the second connector, respectively, with thefirst side bladder flap disposed in the first closed position, thesecond side bladder flap disposed in the second closed position, and thebottom bladder flap disposed in the third closed position.
 16. Thebackpack of claim 15, wherein the first connector and the thirdconnector comprise a first hook-and-loop fastener and the secondconnector and the fourth connector comprise a second hook-and-loopfastener.
 17. The backpack of claim 15, further comprising a handleattached to the bottom bladder flap at an opposite end of the bottombladder flap from the third length.
 18. The backpack of claim 15,wherein the bottom bladder flap provides a see-through section.